Monument to the Conquerors of Space, Space exploration monument in Ostankinsky District, Moscow, Russia
The Monument to the Conquerors of Space is a 107-meter titanium-clad obelisk in Moscow, inclined at 77 degrees to depict a rocket's exhaust plume. Its curved form tapers to a needle-like tip above a broad stylobate, and the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics occupies the base.
Following Sputnik-1's successful launch in 1957, a competition emerged for the monument design with more than 350 submissions. It was completed in October 1964, marking the nation's pride in its space achievements during that era.
Bronze reliefs on the granite base show scientists, engineers, and workers who made the Soviet space program possible. Inscribed verses celebrate space exploration achievements and reflect how the nation viewed this collective effort.
The monument stands outside the main entry of VDNKh, near Prospekt Mira, and is most easily reached from the VDNKh metro station. The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics occupies the stylobate at the base, with its entrance there. Cosmonauts Alley and its busts lie just south of the obelisk.
The 250-tonne steel lattice was assembled by hand on the ground and then raised by cranes, clad in titanium plates that Sergei Korolev pushed for and secured despite the metal's scarcity. The monument appears on the 1967 10-kopeck coin, the smallest-denomination commemorative coin ever minted in the USSR.
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